Five of the best Premier League games between Manchester United and Spurs | OneFootball

Manchester United face Tottenham in the Premier League this weekend, an early season clash between two teams with ambitions of challenging at the top end of the division.

In recent years both sides have been firmly established in the division’s ‘Big Six’ and throughout the Premier League era we have seen many memorable encounters between the teams.

Ahead of their showdown, we look back at some of the best matches between Manchester United and Spurs in the Premier League era.

Five of the best Premier League games between Manchester United and Spurs

Manchester United 2-1 Tottenham (16th May, 1999)

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United side were chasing history following a memorable season but headed into the final day of the campaign needing a victory over Tottenham to secure the title.

On a nerve-shredding final day at Old Trafford, United fell behind to Les Ferdinand’s opener as Spurs threatened to ruin the party before goals from David Beckham and Andy Cole turned a tight tie in the host’s favour.

United held on to secure the title by just a single point from runners-up Arsenal, their fifth championship in seven years and their first piece of silverware as they chased an unprecedented treble.

FA Cup and Champions League success soon followed as Ferguson’s squad cemented their place in English football history.

Tottenham 3-5 Manchester United (29th September, 2001)

In one of the greatest comebacks in Premier League history, United found themselves three goals down at the interval following a first-half blitz by Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

Dean Richard’s debut started brilliantly as he headed home the opener for Spurs, before goals from Les Ferdinand and Christian Ziege put the north London side in a commanding position.

Defending champions United returned after the break as a team transformed, however, Andy Cole, Laurent Blanc, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Juan Sebastian Veron and David Beckham were all on the scoresheet to secure a thrilling fightback.

The game demonstrated the spirit so synonymous with Ferguson’s side during an era of Premier League dominance.

Manchester United 5-2 Tottenham (25th April, 2009)

“Lads, it’s Tottenham.”

Sir Alex Ferguson once witheringly delivered the iconic assessment of his side’s chances of beating Spurs, with their meeting at Old Trafford during the title run-in in April 2009 another demonstration of United’s ability to come back and the visitor’s ability to capitulate.

Tottenham threatened to derail United’s hopes of securing a third consecutive title by racing into a two-goal first-half lead, goals from Darren Bent and Luka Modric handing the north Londoners the initiative at the break.

As had so often been the case previously, however, United came back to secure victory.

A controversial penalty decision allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to pull one back from the spot before four goals in the space of just 12 second-half minutes secured the Red Devils’ latest fightback victory.

Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney helped themselves to a brace apiece, the victory one of eight in the club’s final nine fixtures of the season to wrap up another championship.

Tottenham 3-0 Manchester United (10th April, 2016)

Needing to win to keep pace with surprise leaders Leicester in the title race, Spurs produced a blistering six-minute spell in the second half to thrash their top-four chasing visitors at White Hart Lane and secure a first home victory over Manchester United since 2001.

Dele Alli scored the opener as the teenager slotted home his eighth goal of the season before Toby Alderweireld’s header swiftly doubled Tottenham’s advantage.

Erik Lamela completed the scoring against a shell-shocked United side with a sweet strike just two minutes later, in a dominant display for Mauricio Pochettino’s team who restricted their opponents to just a single shot on target.

Manchester United 1-6 Tottenham (4th October 2020)

Arguably the beginning of the end for Jose Mourinho at Manchester United had been a 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham in August 2018, but a little more than two years later the Portuguese coach returned in charge of the north Londoners to haunt his former side.

Spurs thrashed Manchester United to record a famous 6-1 victory at Old Trafford, inflicting the joint-heaviest Premier League defeat on the Red Devils.

United had taken an early lead when Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring from the penalty spot inside two minutes, but Spurs roared back to score four goals before half-time in a punishing performance.

Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min each scored twice as the former continued his blistering start to the new season, with further goals from Tanguy Ndombele and Serge Aurier completing a remarkable scoreline.

Mourinho equalled his biggest margin of victory away from home as a Premier League manager, picking the perfect venue to record a record-breaking triumph as he won by five goals for the first time since his Chelsea side won 5-0 at Swansea City in January 2015.

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